The Prefix Machine - A Formal Foundation for the BORM OR Diagrams Validation and Simulation

摘要

Business Object Relation Modelling (BORM) is a method for systems analysis and design that utilises an object oriented paradigm in combination with business process modelling. BORM's Object Relation Diagram (ORD) is successfully used in practice for object behaviour analysis (OBA). OBA has found its firm place for visualisation and simulation of processes, however several ontological flaws were identified and there seems to be missing a strong formal foundation that would enable correct reasoning about the models. In this paper, we propose a sound formal foundation for BORM'S ORD. Based on this formal foundation (which we call "the prefix machine"), we get not only to a precise behaviour specification, but it also offers some interesting means of process analysis.